Michael Vick's running ability could play a big role in who wins the starting QB job in Philadelphia. (Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports)
Philadelphia head coach Chip Kelly hasn’t been on his new job long, but he, along with team execs, made a sound decision when they decided to bring back quarterback Michael Vick on a one-year contract.
Although he has been plagued by injuries recently, Vick is a veteran of the NFL wars and could be a nice fit in Kelly’s pedal-to-the-metal offense. Second-year pro Nick Foles, who played surprisingly well as a rookie a season ago subbing in for Vick, will be in the mix for the starting spot in Philly, but he doesn’t necessarily fit the mold of the zone-read quarterback Kelly played with every season while at Oregon.
It is yet to be known how Kelly will orchestrate his offense in his first year with the Eagles, but I don’t expect him to deviate from the zone read running plays that became a staple of his record-setting Ducks teams at the collegiate level.
Look, no matter what Kelly says, he’s had major success running his style of offense. And don’t expect that to change just because he’s on the pro level now. In 2011, Carolina quarterback Cam Newton took the league by storm as a rookie running the same zone read plays that he ran under the guidance of current Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn while in college. This past year, Robert Griffin III, Russell Wilson and second-year star Colin Kaepernick abused opposing defenses by running variations of the same plays.
Now with Vick back in the fold, Philadelphia’s brass needs to concentrate on upgrading an offensive line (in particularly the tackle position) that was horrible a year ago. The Eagles front wall allowed 48 sacks and 118 hits on the quarterback, which would spell doom for a lot of signal-callers around the NFL. Vick isn’t big, but he plays hard and has a reputation as one of the toughest players in the league. But no matter how tough he is, he can’t be expected to take that many hits and stay upright. Heck, nobody should.
Former Texas A&M left tackle Luke Joeckel would be a great pick for Philadelphia with the No. 4 pick, but it’s doubtful he’ll fall that far. If Joeckel is gone, the Eagles should select perhaps of the safest pick in the draft, Alabama guard Chance Warmack. Warmack was a dominating force in the SEC for three years and has 10-year Pro Bowler written all over him. He’d be a huge asset to a running game that will feature dynamic tailbacks LeSean McCoy and Bryce Brown.
Hey, some draft picks aren’t sexy. But they help ya win games. If the Eagles knew what was best for them, they’d concentrate on upgrading their offensive line in an effort to improve. Brining back Vick should help that cause as well.
